electrolyte

/i lek"treuh luyt'/, n.

1. Physical Chem.

a. Also called electrolytic conductor. a conducting medium in which the flow of current is accompanied by the movement of matter in the form of ions.

b. any substance that dissociates into ions when dissolved in a suitable medium or melted and thus forms a conductor of electricity.

2. Physiol. any of certain inorganic compounds, mainly sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, and bicarbonate, that dissociate in biological fluids into ions capable of conducting electrical currents and constituting a major force in controlling fluid balance within the body.

[1825-35; ELECTRO- + -LYTE]

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Substance that conducts electric current as a result of dissociation of its molecules into positively and negatively charged particles called ions.

The most familiar electrolytes are acids, bases, and salts, which ionize when dissolved in polar solvents such as water. Many salts, including sodium chloride, behave as electrolytes when melted in the absence of solvent, since they have ionic bonds. The most commonly used electrolytes are dissolved metal salts (for electroplating metals) and acids (in electric batteries). See also electrolysis.

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▪ chemistry and physics

      in chemistry and physics, substance that conducts electric current as a result of a dissociation into positively and negatively charged particles called ions (ion), which migrate toward and ordinarily are discharged at the negative and positive terminals (cathode and anode) of an electric circuit, respectively. The most familiar electrolytes are acids, bases, and salts (salt), which ionize when dissolved in such solvents as water or alcohol. Many salts, such as sodium chloride, behave as electrolytes when melted in the absence of any solvent; and some, such as silver iodide, are electrolytes even in the solid state.

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